The city of Jacksonville recently announced a pilot program that will help working class people with down payment assistance to buy a home anywhere in Duval County. Mayor Donna Deegan said the city will provide first-time homebuyers up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to buy a home that is no more than $335,000.

According to Jacksonville Today, the $2 million initiative is a pilot program that will use funding from the current fiscal year. It is not recurring. It is among the initiatives the Deegan administration has pushed to solve the city’s affordable housing crisis.

Downtown Jacksonville at dusk, from an illuminated fountain

The city also has a Head Start to Homeownership program where it uses federal funds to provide up to $50,000 in subsidies for down payments and closing costs for people who earn between 80% percent and 120% of the area median income.

HabiJax partners with lenders who are participating in both the new pilot program and Head Start to Homeownership. Eligible homebuyers can apply for the down payment assistance through these lenders, but time will be of the essence.

Those interested in down payment assistance for a HabiJax home should begin in the same place as every potential homebuyer: review our guidelines, take our eligibility quiz, and complete an info session.